Saskatchewan’s Access to Justice Week Includes In-Person Events to Connect People with Legal Information, Assistance

October 8, 2025October 8, 2025ajrn1 Leave a comment

Saskatchewan’s Access to Justice Week will take place from October 27–November 2, 2025. The theme of this year’s event aligns with the theme of other Access to Justice Weeks taking place during the same period: Ten Years Forward: Expanding Justice, Embracing Inclusion.

In-person events taking place in Saskatchewan for Access to Justice Week include:

Saskatoon Public Library Law Fair – October 23, 2025 (prior to the official start of A2J Week), 1:00 pm – 6:00 pm CT
The Saskatoon Public Library is hosting a free, drop-in Law Fair to connect people with legal information, assistance, and services from government and non-profit organizations. Attendees can join free presentations on common legal topics, get help during family law and wills/estates sessions, and explore a tradeshow featuring local and provincial organizations, all at no cost.
Community Social Justice Fair – October 27, 2025, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm CT
This event is designed for community members who are unhoused or who experience poverty, injustice, or systemic barriers. The Fair will bring together a wide range of supports and services, with a focus on reciprocity and community care. Attendees can connect with:
- Information and resources about legal services
- Employment and education information
- Food, giveaways, and a photobooth
- Health information and on-site services
- Naloxone kits and information about the drug toxicity crisis
Regina Public Library Law Fair – November 1, 2025, 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm CT
The Regina Public Library is hosting a free, drop-in Law Fair to connect people with legal information, assistance, and services from government and non-profit organizations. The event aims to raise awareness of legal rights and responsibilities and to provide guidance on accessing legal information and support. Attendees can join free presentations on common legal topics, get help during family law and wills/estates sessions, and explore a tradeshow featuring local and provincial organizations, all at no cost.

Virtual events are available to stakeholders in Saskatchewan through Ontario’s Access to Justice Week: https://lso.ca/theactiongroup/access-to-justice-week.

For more information about Saskatchewan’s Access to Justice Week, including the location of in-person events or information about online engagement, please visit: https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/initiatives/access-to-justice-week/.

Global Progress Report on UN SDG 16 Highlights Country Differences in Access to Dispute Resolution Mechanisms

October 1, 2025October 1, 2025ajrn1 Leave a comment

A recently released United Nations (UN) Global Progress Report on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 – promote peaceful and inclusive societies and provide access to justice for all – outlines country-level differences in the proportion of people who access dispute resolution mechanisms when experiencing a civil justice problem. The report indicates that for some countries fewer than half (46 per cent) of people experiencing a civil legal problem access a formal or informal dispute resolution channel. Conversely, in some countries, almost everyone experiencing a civil legal problem (94 per cent) accesses a formal or information dispute resolution channel for assistance.

The Global Progress Report underscores the need for more countries to report on dispute resolution access, an indicator of access to civil justice (SDG 16.3.3). More disaggregated country data is also needed on the types of disputes experienced by populations and gender gaps in access to dispute resolution mechanisms.

The 3^rd Global Progress Report also provides details on other indicators for SDG 16. The 2025 Global Progress Report on Sustainable Development Goal 16 is available online in English here: https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/sdgs/2025_SDG16_Report.pdf.

Annual Conference Aims to Promote Canadian Leadership in AI and Tech for Justice

September 15, 2025September 15, 2025ajrn1 Leave a comment

The 2025 Autonomy through Cyberjustice Technologies (ACT) Partnership Conference aims to bring attention to Canada’s leadership in artificial intelligence and technological innovation in the justice system. The ACT conference is an annual gathering that has taken place since 2018. It is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and brings together dozens of partners and stakeholders representing all areas of the justice system.

This year’s ACT Conference includes panels and presentations on the following themes:

Legal Contestability and Scientific Falsifiability in AI Decision-Making
Regulating AI in the Justice Sector (The Regulatory Reflex)
Experimenting with AI Technologies to Enhance Judicial Actors’ Autonomy
Lessons to Improve Practices of Justice Stakeholders
Young Researchers: AI & Tech, Justice and Politics

The 2025 ACT Conference takes place from October 15-16, 2025, in Montreal. Information about Conference is available online here: https://www.ajcact.org/en/conference-2025/program/. Additional details about the ACT Project are available here: https://www.ajcact.org/en.

British Columbia Law Institute Paper Looks at Indigenous-Led Conflict Resolution

September 5, 2025September 5, 2025ajrn1 Leave a comment

A recently published paper by the British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) explores dispute resolution within Indigenous communities. The paper looks at approaches to Indigenous-led conflict resolution, points of friction where Indigenous and state laws intersect, and interjurisdictional support of First Nations justice systems. Recognition and state support of First Nations legal orders are important for fostering trust and acknowledging the legitimacy of co-existing systems. The paper offers several ways to ground this recognition and support.

Navigating Shared Waters: Study Paper on Indigenous-Led Conflict Resolution by the British Columbia Law Institute is available online here: https://www.bcli.org/wp-content/uploads/BCLI-Study-Paper-on-Indigenous-Led-Conflict-Resolution.pdf.

BC Supreme Court Seeking Feedback on Ways to Address Delays in Civil and Family Matters

August 29, 2025August 29, 2025ajrn1 Leave a comment

The Supreme Court of British Columbia is seeking input from litigants, the public, organizations, and members of the bar on ways to address challenges obtaining hearing dates and ways to ensure that matters are heard in a timely manner once scheduled. The B.C. Supreme Court has formed a Civil and Family Chambers Practice Working Group to review current practices and procedures and assess possible changes for regular and long chambers.

Potential changes for consideration include, but are not limited to the following:

Limiting regular (short) chambers to matters with time estimates of one hour or less;
Establishing set time slots (e.g. 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes) rather than having parties provide estimates;
For all chambers matters, stricter enforcement of existing rules, e.g. page limits for notices of application and application responses, requiring properly formed legal bases, eliminating serial affidavits and strict enforcement of time estimates.

The Civil and Family Chambers Practice Working Group welcomes feedback until Friday, September 5, 2025. To provide feedback, please send an email to Chambersfeedback@bccourts.ca.

For more information, including other changes that have been proposed, please visit: https://www.bccourts.ca/supreme_court/documents/Feedback_Invited_Civil_and_Family_Chambers_Practice_Review.pdf.

Information in this post was gleaned from the official Supreme Court of British Columbia “Feedback Invited: Civil and Family Chambers Practice Review” release.